Later, Thus, That's How
by jocillyria
Summary: Frank should probably be grateful that Billy was keeping an eye out for Karen while he was recuperating. After all, he never did see who shot him in the stairwell, and who knows if they were still out there. And yet, the two of them sipping wine and laughing over stories (especially at his expense) doesn't really sit well with him.
1. Later (Frank)

Frank never saw who shot him in the stairwell. Never saw who came so close to putting another hole in his skull that he'd have to stitch up the graze. He maybe owed them a thank you, since they thoroughly captured Madani's attention. Whether she actually thought he was out of commission or she was just that annoyed that someone would shoot at her 'prisoner,' she ran up the stairs to try to catch the shooter. Frank went down. After a brief skirmish with some cops, and a dislocated shoulder from his time-saving jump with the conveniently located fire hose, he finally found his way to Karen.

Later he might thank every god he never believed in that she was still alive, that she could follow his lead and disarm a goddamn bomb she couldn't even see, that she had that gun in her bag, that she'd insist on playing hostage and human shield to get him out of there. Later he would rest his forehead against hers and breathe her in and take a second to savor her existence, to _live_ instead of just survive. It was only a second, and it wasn't nearly enough, but it was more than he'd expect to get when he was about to climb out of an elevator shaft with shrapnel in his arm and a bad shoulder.

Later he would stumble into that dank basement and David would call Curtis, _again_. Later, after a handful of days, after he was sure she wasn't being watched, he would find his way to her again, this time at her apartment. Later he would see her through her window, refilling a glass of wine for her guest while they chatted.

Later he would wonder when the hell she started spending time with Billy Russo.


	2. Thus (Billy)

Billy was certain that Frank never saw him in the stairwell, mostly due to the lack of even one attempt on his life. Madani never caught up to him either, but given her suspicions over his involvement in her partner's death, he wouldn't be surprised if she tried to (rightfully) pin this on him, too.

Failure to eliminate Frank aside, he'd still gotten one good thing out of Lewis' rampage: Karen. Karen Page, the journalist with a concealed carry permit. And, apparently, Frank's loyalty. He'd figured there was _someone_ that Frank cared about; it was all over his face after Billy tried to put him on a boat and mentioned he didn't have any family to tie him to the city. He just hadn't known who it was. But then Frank ran into a building full of security and cops to take out a kid because he was going after Karen. He'd literally taken bullets for her, almost got blown up, and suffered some pretty serious (at least for anyone else) injuries. Yes, Frank definitely felt something for Karen Page, for all she would deny they were anything but friends.

So, after he'd finished with the NYPD and called the families of his fallen employees, he found her contact information from ANVIL's background check and pulled her gun from their safe, marking the log as it having been moved to their facility for safekeeping. He didn't know if she'd been flustered after her ordeal (which he thought unlikely) or was just too tired to care just then (more likely), but she didn't call him that night to retrieve her firearm. He gave her until the following afternoon and then called her himself. She groggily (he had woken her up) affirmed that she wanted her .380 back and asked if she could stop by the next day. Instead, Billy offered to bring it to her, since he "just so happened" to have a meeting later just a couple of blocks away. When he stopped by her apartment to return her gun, she answered the door in pajama pants and quite possibly the rattiest sweatshirt he'd ever seen. She took her gun, checked the magazine, and then tiredly invited him in for a drink.

Thus began Billy's plan of keeping tabs on Frank through Karen Page.


	3. That's How (Karen)

Karen had a shitty day. First she had to deal with the idealistic but unrealistic senator. Then she was almost shot, taken hostage, almost blown up, had to pull a wire she couldn't even see, and offered herself as a human shield. Even worse, she'd had to see Frank get shot _for her_ , and then his face when Lewis took her, and then his much bloodier face after he found her. She'd had to talk him into holding a gun on her to get him out, see shrapnel sticking out of his arm, and watch him pull his obviously injured self up out of an elevator car. She'd had to watch him go without knowing when she'd see him again.

Then, after dealing with Madani and the detective, she'd found that she couldn't retrieve her weapon. _Moved for safekeeping_. It was in the _safe_. Lewis never touched it. She could have called Russo and insisted it be returned to her, but she was exhausted, and Ellison was definitely not going to let her get out of writing everything up immediately. She was still in hot water that he'd been scooped on Frank being alive, and she _had_ called out Lewis both in print and on radio. No, he was going to insist she send her account of events, if not a full article, to him right away. (Her assumption was proven right when she called him to let him know she'd be out the next day.) As tired as she was, she probably still would have called Russo if she'd had to get home on her own. As it was, an officer dropped her off on his way back to the station, and she had another gun at home (even if it was _not_ fully licensed and known to the NYPD). So, she set herself a reminder to call Russo the next day and tucked in to write things up for her boss. She had not only a thorough account (aside from the offering-to-be-a-shield bit) of events, but also a rough article sent to Ellison before midnight.

She slept through her reminder to contact Russo, only to be woken up by his call a little after 3:00. Had she been more awake, she'd have requested to meet at ANVIL rather than have him stop by her place. As it was, she set her alarm to go off in an hour and went back to sleep. She woke up to her alarm this time and used the four minutes she expected to have before he got there to change into her most comfortable clean clothes and start the coffee maker. When he returned her gun, she expressed her skepticism about his "meeting nearby," then felt like an asshole when he said he'd been making the rounds to offer condolences in person to the families of his employees that were killed. He looked about as thrilled to be out and about as she was about being awake. She offered a drink before she really thought about it.

And that's how Karen started spending time with Billy Russo.


End file.
